Top grossing movie made $1,710 last week, all from one Florida drive-in theater – PennLive

Movies theaters across the country have shut down as the coronavirus crisis has the government enforcing stay-at-home orders. Because of this, some studios have either pushed back the release dates of films or chose streaming.

There were, however, 14 theaters open in the United States through mid-April. Of those, 13 were drive-ins, and only one was showing new movies. According to a report from Deadline, the theaters were located in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Missori, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. A few of these theaters have recently been ordered to temporarily close.

The theater showing first-run films was and still is the Ocala Drive-in located in Florida. Movies being currently screened include Trolls World Tour, released April 10; Resistance, released March 27 starring Jesse Eisenberg (based on the life of mime artist Marcel Marceau); Swallow, a thriller about a woman with pica (a psychological disorder where the person consumes objects having no nutritive value) that was released March 6, and The Other Lamb, a 2019 horror film about a cult.

Writer Ernie Smith discovered, and shared on Twitter, that the Ocala Drive-In was responsible for the entire revenue of the top-grossing film the weekend of April 11-12: the arthouse horror film Swallow, bringing in $1,710.

In a story on Vice, Ocala Drive-In owner John Watzke said Anybody that knows me and knows the drive-in knows I dont close. Ive had hurricanes come, Ive stayed open until the power went off and I had no one in the parking lot, he said.

The 63-year-old proprietor says he stays open for his employees who rely on their wages, and for those impacted by the coronavirus who are either going stir crazy in isolation or dealing with loved ones' exposure or death.

Watzke said he goes to great extremes to ensure patrons safety, such as sectioning off every other parking space so each car has 10 to 16 feet between them; concession items ordered online that are then delivered by employees doning masks and gloves; trays are disinfected after each use, and employees get temperatures taken at the start of shifts then again every three hours.

He also is offering his drive-in free of charge for church services, city meetings, and graduations with attendees staying in their cars as presenters speak on stage and with their voices projected through the drive-ins radio frequency.

In a comment by Nate on Barstoolsports.com, the observation was made that the movies Swallow and The Other Lamb have become movie nerd trivia questions about the lowest grossing movies to top the box office. He goes on to say Sorry Dickie Roberts, you had a good run though.

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Top grossing movie made $1,710 last week, all from one Florida drive-in theater - PennLive

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero